


I See Stars

by robinrunsfiction



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Teacher AU, Teacher Gerard Way, Teacher Reader, Teacher/Teacher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25868839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinrunsfiction/pseuds/robinrunsfiction
Summary: Teaching at a prestigious New York City prep school was the dream, but she never anticipated everything else that would happen during her first year at Our Lady of Sorrows Academy and how it would change her life forever.
Relationships: Gerard Way/Reader
Kudos: 22





	I See Stars

**Author's Note:**

> The title, and the story somewhat, were inspired by the song Starz by Ben Kweller

“I would like to welcome everyone back for what is sure to be another successful year at Our Lady of Sorrows Academy,” Headmaster O’Connor announced from his place behind the podium.

(YN) looked around the auditorium excitedly, taking in the way the teachers seemed to be grouped together. Most of the faculty seemed like they were older, probably working here for many years, but she did spot a couple of others that seemed to be about her age. She wished she hadn’t been so early so she would have had an excuse to sit by them as they seemed very friendly with each other, and she was hoping to meet new potential friends.

“I’m happy to welcome some new staff this year. Barb Jones will be teaching algebra,” an older woman stood up and gave a wave. “And (YFN) (YLN) is joining the English department,” the headmaster announced. (YN) stood as well and smiled, hoping that she was making a good first impression. She’d been hired on to replace a teacher who had retired at the end of the last school year and she realized that this probably meant she had large shoes to fill, but the challenge excited her and she was beyond excited for the increase in pay and prestige that came with teaching at a private preparatory school with a stellar reputation like OLSA. 

After a few more introductions and a bit of a pep talk from the Headmaster regarding expectations and achievement, the teachers were dismissed to their classrooms before the departmental meetings began. (YN) found her room near the front of the building and before opening the door, she took a deep breath and realized that she had finally made it, she had her own classroom full of possibilities. Not a space to share with other teachers who would rearrange the desks, or fill the drawers with empty pens and dried out markers, and put up stupid posters that would ultimately get vandalized.

She opened the door and took in the room. The walls and two tall bookshelves were bare, waiting to be filled, and the desks were in neat rows. She went to the windows that looked out on the tree lined street and smiled thinking about how the leaves would glow when autumn settled in. She walked around to the desk in the front of the room and ran her hands over the smooth, cool wood. She sat down into the chair and spun around in it while giggling with delight until she heard voices coming down the hall and she stopped and straightened up. 

She couldn’t wait for the new school year to begin.

~

(YN) had never felt so relieved to hear the lunch bell ring. 

As the students filed out of the classroom, she sank down into her desk chair and held her throbbing head in her hands. The first day wasn’t supposed to be like this. She expected some of the students would be excited and maybe some would be bored or irritated that summer was over, but instead they were aggressive about the curriculum, asking questions she wasn’t prepared for and pulling no punches. After a deep breath, she grabbed her bag, got up, and started walking in the opposite direction of the noisy cafeteria.

Eventually she found herself in a stairwell and decided to go up. When she opened the door at the top of the stairs, she was blinded by the bright sunlight of the early September afternoon. She blinked a few times before propping the door open with her bag, and sat against the brick wall. The noise of the city just beyond the walls of the building was loud as it always was, but it felt less imposing than the noise of the students confined within the school below her. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, centering herself. For a moment she finally felt just a little relaxed.

“What are you doing up here?”

(YN)’s eyes snapped open. Standing over her was another teacher, hand on one hip, coffee in the other. “Sorry, I just needed some quiet, I didn’t-” she apologized as she scrambled to her feet. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” He laughed. “I just didn’t expect anyone else to be here, it’s been my secret getaway since I started working here,” he said sitting down next to where she had been, leaning against the wall. (YN) didn’t know if he expected her to leave him alone until she realized he was smiling up at her and patting the ground next to where he was sitting. “I’m Gerard Way, I’m in the art department. You’re (YN), right? The new English teacher?”

“Yep, that’s me,” (YN) nodded, relaxing a little as she sat down.

“So what brings you up here?”

“I’ve got a massive headache. I thought I was prepared for the first day, but the environment here is so much more overwhelming than my old school. These kids are…”

“Intense?”

“Yes! That’s exactly it!”

Gerard laughed. “Yea, that’s what happens when most of the students are expected to get into the Ivy League.”

“At least I can brace for the afternoon,” (YN) sighed. “How long have you been working here?”

“A couple years. I never felt like I fit in with a staff until I started here, which is strange given that it’s such a traditional environment, but I’ve met two of my closest friends working here.”

“Who are they?”

“Ray in the music department and Frank, he teaches political science and social studies.”

“Oh yea, I think I’ve seen them at one meeting or the other.”

“They’re good guys,”Gerard nodded before glancing down at his watch. “I hope your headache is better, the lunch hour is almost over.”

(YN) nodded and stood up. “Thanks for not kicking me out of your secret hideaway.”

“Feel free to come up here anytime,” Gerard replied as he got to his feet as well. He held the door open for (YN) as she picked up her bag.

“Maybe I will,” she nodded as she waved and headed off to her classroom.

The afternoon went by a bit more smoothly than the morning had. The last class of the day had been dismissed and (YN) let out a sigh of relief when there was a knock on the door.

“Excuse me, Ms. (YLN). do you have a minute?”

(YN) looked up and saw one of her sophomore students at the door. “Yes, how can I help you Sadie?”

“Well there are a lot of academic organizations and sports teams, but I want to start a new club, so my college applications can be more well-rounded, and we need an advisor.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“A creative writing club. I have a few friends who are interested, but we don’t have a formal organization yet. Would you be willing to supervise it?” Sadie asked pleadingly.

“Sure! That sounds like a really good idea. When would you like to have the first meeting?”

“Can we start next Tuesday after school? I can make fliers tonight.”

“That works for me. I’m honored you want me to help.”

“You were my first choice,” Sadie smiled. “I can tell you’re kind of nerdy, like me.”

(YN) laughed lightly. “Well, I can’t argue with you on that.”

“Own it,” Sadie grinned. “Anyway, thanks Ms. (YLN), I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said before hurrying out. (YN) shook her head and smiled. It had been a long day, but this was exactly what made teaching worth it in the end.

~

It was a few weeks into the school year when Gerard was called for a meeting with Headmaster O'Connor. 

“Mr. Way, I’ve given you a bit of leeway regarding the expectations of instructors here, but in the interest of fairness to the rest of the faculty, I must insist that you start meeting the standards of your employment as a teacher at OLSA that have been neglected,” Headmaster O’Connor explained.

Gerard sat up straighter in the chair and cleared his throat. “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s expected that all faculty advise at least one club or team.”

“Oh, Ray and Frank are running the music club, right? I’ll help with that.”

“No, we limit the number of advisors per organization to two so that there is a good balance throughout the school and no club has to go without, or we have an organization with more adults than students. You’ll need to find something else. Also you might find yourself spending more time volunteering at things like sporting events, it will only help you in the long run around here.”

“I’m not the sporting event type,” Gerard clarified.

“Fine, social events then. We just do not want these tasks to fall on some of our other already overburdened staff.”

“So someone complained I wasn’t pulling my weight?” Gerard smirked.

Headmaster O’Connor chuckled and shook his head. “Gerard, I like you, that’s why I hired you. You’re a much needed breath of fresh air in this school. But yes, some of our more senior staff think that maybe you are due to be pulling a bit more weight.”

Gerard sighed. “Ok, I’ll see what I can do.”

The next night Gerard had stayed late hanging up the first art projects the students had completed in the small school gallery. As he walked down the hall toward the front entrance to leave, he thought he heard music despite the late hour. He turned down the corridor and saw the lights were on in the room where the music was coming from. He peeked in the door and couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face when he saw it was (YN), straightening up the classroom as she softly sang along to the song. He knocked on the door frame and she whipped around.

“Gerard, hey! You’re really good at startling me,” she laughed.

“Sorry,” he realized that it wasn’t the first time he had done that and felt himself blush. “I was just wondering what you’re still doing here?”

“I’m advising the creative writing club.”

Gerard’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I didn’t even know we had a creative writing club, that’s cool. I’ve been writing and drawing my own comic books for a long time now.”

“Seriously? That’s really interesting! We just started the club a couple weeks ago, so please feel free to drop by our next meeting.”

“Tuesday after school?”

“Yep,” she smiled.

Gerard nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve recently been informed by Headmaster O'Connor that I should be advising a club.”

“Even better! Different creative perspectives would be great for the students,” she said turning off the music and gathering her jacket and her bag. “Ya know, I’ve always wanted to get into comic books, but I just don’t know where to start. There are so many, it’s kinda overwhelming.”

“I could bring you a few from my collection and you could try,” he offered as they walked out of the school.

“I’d appreciate it! Well, I’m going this way,” she said nodding down the street as the sun began to set, illuminating them in a warm orange glow.

“I’m going this way,” he pointed the opposite direction.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she smiled and waved. Gerard waved and watched her head up the street for a minute before he turned to head home.

~

The fall semester seemed to be flying by and (YN) was adjusting well to the new school, but the highlight of each week was definitely the creative writing club meetings. The small group of students were fantastic writers, bringing both short stories and poetry for the other students to listen to and offer advice and critiques. (YN) also found that she enjoyed the time she got to spend with Gerard. As promised, he started bringing her comics to read and she devoured each one so they could spend time after the students left discussing the characters and plots.

It was late fall when the faculty of OLSA sat in the auditorium for their biweekly meeting. Gerard found himself tuning in and out of the meeting because as an art teacher, a lot of what was being discussed didn’t apply to him. Then one of the history teachers got up and started talking about organizing the winter formal that was in a couple weeks, catching Gerard’s attention.

“With the students’ help, we have the DJ booked, and decorations and refreshments planned, but what we really need are a couple more chaperones.”

“I’ll do it,” Gerard spoke up, causing both Ray and Frank to look at him like he grew two heads. But he didn’t notice as he was trying to see if (YN) had heard. To his relief she was looking over with a smile on her face.

“Oh, great! Thank you Gerard,” the history teacher replied.

“Are you seriously going to chaperone a dance?” Ray asked as they walked down the hall after the meeting was over.

“Yea, well O’Connor was on me to help out around here more,” Gerard shrugged.

“And it has nothing to do with the new English teacher? What’s her name again?” Frank chided.

“(YN) and I don’t even know if she’s gonna be there,” Gerard countered.

“I bet she will be, she’s always volunteering to help out. She seems really nice.” Ray nodded before heading off to the music wing.

“Lucky you then,” Frank flashed a wicked grin at Gerard before heading up the stairs to his classroom. Gerard just shook his head and made his way to his own classroom for the start of the day.

~

(YN) walked into the gym as the DJ was finishing setting up his equipment. The lights in the gym had been turned off and the room was illuminated by strand after strand of fairy lights, like stars in the night sky.

“Hey,” she heard someone say behind her. She turned to find Gerard, dressed especially nicely for the event in a well fitting suit.

“Hey, you look nice!” She greeted him with a smile.

“You too,” he replied. He seemed a little in awe and she was glad the lights were dim, as she knew she was blushing.

“So what do we need to do?” Gerard asked after a moment of silence hung between them.

“Haven’t you chaperoned a dance before?” She asked. Gerard shook his head in reply. “Well, if it’s anything like my old school, when the students start arriving, we just make sure they don’t spike the punch, or get in any fights, or dance too inappropriately.”

“Oh, yea, that makes sense,” he nodded, feeling slightly foolish for even having asked.

Soon the DJ started playing and students began trickling in. They mostly stuck to the walls, huddled together, glancing across the room at other groups doing the same. But then as more and more kids started to arrive, the dance floor began to fill up and the night got into full swing. (YN) and Gerard watched the crowd from the edges along with the other faculty that volunteered to be there and thankfully everyone seemed to be on good behavior, making their jobs easy.

After many fast songs, the DJ finally switched to a slow ballad. (YN) watched fondly as the students paired off. It reminded her of the dances she went to when she was in high school and all the good memories that she had there. That was part of the reason why she wanted to become a teacher; because even though those years can be difficult, she knew they could also be so important and rewarding.

“Do you wanna dance?” Gerard asked, pulling (YN) out of her thoughts.

“Oh, sure,” she nodded.

He placed one hand on her waist and took her hand in the other. She placed her free hand on his arm and looked up at him as they started to sway to the music. Her heart was pounding and she was glad they were keeping a safe distance apart so he wouldn’t notice it.

(YN) really liked being around Gerard, she was glad he had found his way to her classroom and started helping with her club. He was so easy to talk to, and she looked forward to running into him every day whether in the hallways or up on the roof. But now under the twinkling lights, it was like she was finally hearing her heart for the first time. She didn’t just like Gerard as a friend, she realized she had a full blown crush on him. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her fondly causing her cheeks to burn red again.

It was far too soon when the song ended, but they lingered hand in hand, searching each other’s eyes for some kind of sign. Suddenly there was a shriek across the gym and they both looked over to see two boys shoving each other.

“Sorry,” Gerard said before hurrying across the gym to help break up the scuffle.

(YN) sighed. She had to remember that dating a coworker could be totally against the rules, she never had reason to check the employee handbook to find out. And if things went wrong she’d still have to see him every day. She knew she’d be better off just pushing her feelings aside, but that didn’t change the fact that they were there.

~

“Hey Ms. (YLN)?”

“Yes Sadie?” (YN) addressed her student as the others filed out of the room after the first class back from winter break.

Sadie glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. “Are you and Mr. Way dating?“

(YN)’s eyes went wide. "No! Why would you think that?”

“I dunno, I was thinking about it over break and it just seems like there’s something between you two at the writing club meetings and you’d be like super cute together! I bet you’re dating by the end of the year, if not married, before I graduate!”

“Sadie, you can’t ship your teachers, it’s not appropriate.”

“You know about shipping?”

“The internet was around 10 years ago when I was your age ya know,” (YN) replied snidely.

“Well, you should at least consider it because it’d be really cute,” she grinned before turning and hurrying out of the room.

(YN) sat back in her chair and let out a sigh. She had considered it, she considered it almost every day since the dance, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he had too. She opened her desk drawer and started digging. Finally she found the binder she was looking for and turned to the index. Not finding the topic of interest she started flipping through, skimming page after page, excitement and nerves growing. Finally she reached the end and then went back through again. After a third check she shut the binder with a grin.

“Any plans for the night?” Gerard asked as they walked out of the building that evening. After the last class of the day he had come to her classroom to talk about the latest comics he had lent her.

“No, but umm, do you maybe wanna go get dinner?” (YN) asked, her eyes hopeful.

A grin spread across Gerard’s face. “Yea, that would be great.”

“There’s a deli a couple blocks over I really like,” she suggested.

“Let’s go,” he smiled, shifting his bag up his shoulder and adjusting his scarf against the cold January wind.

“I guess I never asked, but do you live close?” (YN) asked.

“I live in Jersey with my little brother Mikey,” Gerard explained.

“Oh, doesn’t the commute get long?”

“It’s not bad. Gives me time to listen to music and read, whatever,” he shrugged. “Are you nearby?”

“Yea, I live with a roommate a few blocks up.”

“Are you from the city originally?” Gerard asked

“No, I moved here after college, you?”

“Again, Jersey,” Gerard chuckled.

They continued chatting until they arrived at the diner. (YN) was relieved that their evening was going as well as she hoped it would. Maybe Gerard just liked her as a friend, but that didn’t change the fact that she was having fun spending time with him. After their meal was finished, they walked back into the cold night air, but neither made a move to leave. 

“I really enjoyed hanging out with you outside of work,” Gerard said.

“Same,” (YN) nodded.

“We should go on another date sometime soon,” he replied almost a little nervously.

(YN) smiled broadly. “Yea, that would be cool,” she agreed, trying not to sound too over eager. They exchanged a lingering hug before they both headed off toward their homes.

The next morning (YN) walked into her classroom and noticed that something had been left on her desk. The night before she and Gerard had discussed their favorite coffee shops and their regular coffee orders, and on her desk was a coffee, fixed just like she liked, a fresh stack of comics and a note that read ‘Thanks for the wonderful dinner last night, can’t wait to return the favor. xo G’ She felt herself blush and stifled a squeal of delight, but quickly recomposed herself as the students began to file in for the first hour of the day.

~

(YN) and Gerard had been on a few dates, mostly just grabbing coffee or dinner after work, but finally they were on what felt more like a real date than any of the others. They had met up on a Saturday afternoon to grab lunch and then they were browsing (YN)’s favorite bookstore.

“I feel like as an English teacher everyone expects that my favorite book should be some kind of classic novel, or Shakespeare, or something, but honestly I just really like a clever mystery,” (YN) explained as they walked through the rows and rows of books. 

“Really? What’s your favorite?” 

(YN)’s eyes scanned the shelves. “Here it is,” she said, pulling out a book. “It’s a mystery series based around a witch museum in England. It’s written from the point of view of the protagonist and it’s so funny and smart.”

“It sounds good, I’ll have to get it,” Gerard smiled, taking the book from her hands.

“You don’t have to do that, you can borrow my copy, I have the whole series,” she smiled, placing her hand on his and looking up at him with a smile. “I’d really like to have someone to talk about it with.”

“I could listen to you talk forever,” Gerard replied, the words tumbling out of his mouth and (YN) couldn’t mask the surprise on her face. “I really like you (YN),” he confessed after a moment.

"I really like you too Gerard,” she replied, barely above a whisper. As if in slow motion, they found themselves leaning in, their lips so close, but not touching as she glanced up at him for one more second before closing her eyes and his lips pressed against hers.

Just like when they danced, her heart felt like it could burst out of her chest. For a moment she wondered if he could feel it, but as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him, she didn’t care. All that mattered was this moment with Gerard that she’d been thinking about for what felt like ages, in her favorite bookstore, in front of her favorite book no less. (YN) was certain it really couldn’t get any better than this.

~

(YN) and Gerard’s relationship continued to get better and better through the cold winter months. Gerard delighted in finding any excuse he could to drop off little notes or gifts for (YN) to find in her desk during the day, like on Valentine’s Day he even left a rose with a cute little drawing of the two of them together for her to find.

“Me, Ray and Frank were gonna go check out this band tonight, do you wanna come too?” Gerard asked during their lunch hour a few weeks later.

“I don’t wanna intrude,” she objected.

“No, I want you to come along. I wanna finally let them know that we’re,” he trailed off as he reached over and took her hand.

“Going out?” She filled in.

“Yea, because I want the world to know you’re my girl,” he said with a blushing smile.

“Well in that case, sure, I’d love to go along,” she smiled. “And for what it’s worth, I couldn’t be happier to be your girl,” she said leaning over and placing a kiss on his cheek.

That evening (YN) walked into the small venue and spotted her three coworkers at a table in the corner. "Hey guys,” she greeted taking the open chair next to Gerard.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Ray smiled.

“Good, what a long week though,” she sighed. “I dunno if midterms are harder on us or the students.”

Frank hummed in agreement as he took a swig of his beer. “I hear ya.”

The group settled into a comfortable conversation until the first band took the stage. (YN) found herself having a lot of fun and not like the odd one out as she previously worried she would be. The guys all had encyclopedic knowledge of music, and it was fascinating to listen to them talk. 

“I still wanna start a band, I haven’t been in one for ages,” Frank announced.

“Who is gonna wanna see a bunch of teachers play music?” Ray countered.

“Wasn’t Sting a teacher? And Gene Simmons at one point?” (YN) offered.

“That’s true,” Frank nodded.

“Well if you need a singer,” Gerard shrugged.

“Wait, you can sing too?” (YN) asked, eyebrows raised. What she didn’t notice was the look being exchanged by Ray and Frank.

When the main act took the stage, Gerard slid his chair closer to (YN)’s, and put his arm around her shoulders. (YN) settled in, resting against him forgetting that the others were unaware of their relationship.

“Oh, so this really is a thing?” Frank said looking between the two after the first song was over.

“Has been for a while,” Gerard replied with a sly smile.

“I should have known,” Ray laughed. “I could tell something was up, I just couldn’t tell what.”

“Yea, I’m happier than I have been in a long time,“ Gerard replied, pressing a kiss to the side of (YN)’s head and she smiled contentedly. 

"So if the art room’s a rockin, don’t come a knockin?” Frank winked and Ray groaned.

“Come on man,” Gerard sighed, feeling his cheeks burning red.

(YN) rolled her eyes. “See this is why we didn’t say anything.”

“I’m kidding!” Frank laughed. “You guys are really good together. I was wondering how long it would take you to realize it.”

~

Despite their friends knowing about their relationship, Gerard and (YN) were still keeping things as platonic as possible while at work. Luckily they had been hanging out so much before they started dating, appearances didn’t change much when they ate lunch in one of their classrooms, or met up for coffee before work and walked in together.

One morning (YN) overslept, having stayed up late reading the latest collection of comics Gerard had lent her. As she rushed through her room getting ready, she grabbed the first black cardigan she found draped over the back of her desk chair and threw it on, before hurrying off to work. The day passed uneventfully until she noticed a familiar student lingering after class.

“Hi Sadie, what’s up?” She asked pleasantly.

“Ms. (YLN), is that Mr. Way’s sweater?” Sadie asked.

(YN) tried to keep calm, but her mind was spinning. She had realized by her second class of the day that she had grabbed Gerard’s sweater that he had left at her apartment, but she didn’t think for a second anyone would realize it. “What? Why would you think that?”

“The paint stain on the elbow. I bumped into him with my palette in class one day and he got paint on his elbow. It looks just like the stain on your elbow.”

“Must just be a funny coincidence. I like to paint too, I must have stuck my elbow in my paint and didn’t notice,” (YN) shrugged.

Sadie nodded her head, but (YN) knew by the look on her face that she didn’t believe her at all. “Ok. Well, then that’s another thing you two have in common.”

“Shouldn’t you be going to your next class?” (YN) asked with a tight lipped smile and Sadie accepted that she wouldn’t be getting the answer she was seeking that day and left the room.

~

“So where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” Gerard replied with a smile and glanced over at (YN) in the passenger seat. 

Friday had become their regular date night, and that evening they went out to Jersey, got in Gerard’s car and started driving away from the city. (YN) laughed lightly and shook her head as she watched the trees fly by. The spring evening cooled sun as the sun began to lower in the sky, and Gerard pulled into the entrance of a county park tucked out in the country.

“I like to come out here when I want to get away from the noise and crowds of the city for a while,” Gerard said as he pulled into the parking lot that bordered a small lake.

They got out and Gerard grabbed a bag from the backseat, pulling out a blanket. Gerard led the way to a bench at the edge of the sandy beach and wrapped them both in the blanket as the sky glowed golden above them.

“This sunset reminds me of that day,” (YN) started.

“When I stayed late and ran into you,” Gerard finished.

“Yes!” (YN) laughed.

“Can I tell you something?” Gerard asked, almost a little sheepishly.

“Hmm?”

“I thought you were cute from the first time I saw you, but I think I started to have a crush on you that day.”

“That’s adorable,” (YN) grinned. “I think I realized I had a crush on you while we were chaperoning that dance.”

“I only volunteered to do it because I thought you would be there,” Gerard replied.

“I thought you said O’Connor was on your case?” She said elbowing him playfully.

“Well that too, but I’d rather impress you than him.”

(YN) just hummed in agreement and put her head on his shoulder. “Wait, is it gonna get dark enough out here to see stars?”

“Yea, that’s why I wanted to come out here with you.”

“Aww, thanks Gee,” she replied snuggling closer to him as he drew the blankets around them even tighter. They watched the stars start to appear overhead as the sky grew dark. There had been so many quiet moments when Gerard and (YN) spent time together, but this felt extra special as they were so very alone, away from the whole world. 

Once the cold air couldn’t be fought off by the blanket, they made their way back to the car and drove back toward the city. Gerard wished he wasn’t driving so he could watch her. That’s what he had done for most of their time in the park, watching her watch the stars above with a look of awe and wonderment and he was certain he hadn’t felt this way for someone before. (YN) glanced over at Gerard and smiled. He reached over and took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.

(YN) yawned when they arrived back at Gerard’s house and got out of the car. “Thank you for the lovely evening.”

“Do you wanna stay over?” Gerard asked. It wouldn’t be the first time, but the simplicity of the evening felt special and he didn’t want it to end.

“Yea, I’d love to,” she nodded as he took her hand and they headed inside together.

~

“Aren’t you gonna be late for school?”

The words split through Gerard’s slumber and he sat bolt upright, (YN), already sitting up, had a look of confusion and shock that must have matched his.

“What time is it?” She gasped.

Gerard grabbed his phone off the coffee table. He didn’t even remember falling asleep on the couch the night before. “8:04, oh my god we’re late!”

“Why didn’t my alarms go off?!” (YN) asked in a panic, grabbing her own phone to see what was wrong. “Oh my god, that’s right it’s Saturday,” she replied, sinking back on the couch, putting her head in her hands with a weary laugh.

“Mikey! That wasn’t funny!” Gerard shouted at his brother who had retreated back to his room with a bowl of cereal.

(YN) laughed. “It was a little funny.”

Gerard laughed lightly and ran his hand through his black hair. “Yea I guess,” he said as he looked up at (YN), the sunlight through the curtains illuminating her face. He noticed the makeup from the night before was smudged a little bit around her eyes, and her hair was messy from sleep, but to Gerard she looked like the most perfect thing he’d ever seen. He recognized the same feelings from the night before and it dawned on him. "Hey (YN)?”

“Yea?” She asked looking up at him, eyebrows raised.

“I love you.” 

(YN)’s expression softened at the words. “I wanna say something clever, but I can’t think of anything better than I love you too, Gerard.”

Gerard sat up and grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her as deeply as he could. When they pulled back, breathless, Gerard rested his forehead against hers as they both smiled at each other lovingly.

“Are you guys just gonna makeout on the couch all day?” Mikey asked.

“If it will bug you, then yes,” Gerard retorted. Mikey huffed in annoyance on his way to the kitchen.

~

“Just like that your first year at Our Lady of Sorrows Academy is over,” Gerard smiled from where he was leaning against the door frame of (YN)’s classroom.

“And what a year it was,” (YN) replied, placing the last of her things that she was taking home in her bag. "It’s going to be weird going from seeing you almost every day to not,” she pouted.

"You make it sound like it’s a Jane Austen novel and we’ll only be able to communicate by letter,” Gerard laughed as he pushed himself off the door frame and walked over to her.

“Would you write to me from all the way in New Jersey?” She giggled.

“I’ll write you a love letter every day,” he said wrapping his arms around her. “Even days when we’re together. I’ll hide them for you to find later.”

(YN) grinned and buried her face against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him as well. “You’re too cute,” she mumbled before looking up at him. Gerard smiled back before leaning in and kissing her. 

“I knew it!”

Gerard and (YN) jumped apart and turned to see Sadie in the doorway.

“What are you still doing here?” (YN) asked frantically.

“I remembered a book I had in my backpack that I needed to return to the library. But I knew it! I told you back in January that you’d be dating before I graduated! Now you just need to get married before I graduate, I can’t wait for that!” Sadie was practically dancing with excitement.

“Have a good summer Sadie,” Gerard said with a wave, encouraging her to leave.

“See you next year!” She called as she skipped off down the hall.

“Please do not give her the satisfaction of asking me to marry you before she graduates,” (YN) groaned, rubbing her forehead.

“Well there goes my plans for the next year’s first day assembly,” Gerard sighed and (YN) rolled her eyes. “I’m kidding, but just tell me when you’re ready, sugar.”

(YN) grinned and leaned up to kiss Gerard again. “For now, let’s just get going to Frank’s party cookout. We don’t wanna be late.”

Gerard smiled and nodded as they walked out of the school hand in hand.


End file.
